Neutrality Acts:
Neutrality in General
- Passed in the United States in 1930's in response to the issues in Europe and Asia that would eventually lead to WW2
- Caused by the desire to be isolationist and keep us out of European issues
- Passed to ensure we would not be pulled into a world war/conflicts like we did during WW1
- U.S. had a very strong history of isolationism
- Our country was split between Interventionists vs. Isolationists
Interventionsists = people who wanted to get involved in the war and help
Isolationists = stay out of the war and European problems
Neutrality Act of 1935
- Signed in August of 1935
- Ban United States trade (arms and weapons) with countries at war
- Only lasted 6 months
- Declared any United States people traveling on ships (especially Great Britain ships) were traveling at their own risk
Neutrality Act of 1936
- Passed in Februrary 1936
- Lasted 14 months
- It was meant to renew the condition of the Act of 1935
- It didn't include restrictions on oil and truck companies so we were giving supplies like that to Spain, Italy, and Japan
- It also forbid all loans to belligerent countries and countries at war
- Belligerents = a country that is super aggressive (like Germany, Japan, Italy)
Neutrality Act of 1937
- Forbid American citizens to travel on belligerent countries ships
- No experation date
- Civil Wars were now included (like spain and other small countries)
- Cash And Carry System = any country can come to the United States with their ships, pay with cash upfront, and take the supplies the needed from us
Neutrality Act of 1939
- Passed on November 4 1939
- Passed in response to the Poland invasion by Germany
- U.S. citizens can't enter war zone
Lend-Lease Act
- An act which the United States supplied the United Kingdom, Republic of China, Free France, USSR, and all our other allied nations with money and material between the years 1941 and 1945.
- This offically didnt make us to neutral.
- We started 9 months before we entered the war ourselves on March 11 1941.
- A total of 50.1 billion dollars was sent out which is as much as 647 billion in todays money.
- Key componant in why we won this war; with the resources and supplies of U.S. even when we were neutral
German U-Boats
- After repeated attacks by German U-Boats on U.S. ships in the fall of 1941, FDR annonced that he had ordered teh U.S. Navy to attack German and Italian war ships in the "waters which we deem necessary for our defense
Bases For Destroyers
- September 2, 1940
- Between United States and United Kingdom- WW2 agreement between FDR and Churchill
- The agreement = U.S. would send over battleships/destroyers in return for many naval bases in the caribbean and Newfoundland.
Atlantic Charrter
- Passed in August 1941
- Draft up our war goals for United States and Great Britain
- Some Goals..... 1. No territorial gain or change 2. Self-determination; Let countries determine their future and government (as long as they aren't communists) 3. Freed Trade- let countries trade freely with low tariffs 4. Destruction of teh Nazis then peaceful government in Germany 5. Freedom of teh seas 6. Abandon the use of force and disarmement and stronger league of nations.
Selective Training and Serice
- Signed by FDR in 1940
- All american men 21-36 had to register to be drafted
- As we entered the war the ages were 18-45
- Selected them through a lottery system
- No more than 9,000 men training at a time
- No more than 12 months service which eventually grew
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